A former studio engineer associated with Eminem’s recording studio has been formally indicted for the alleged misappropriation of the Detroit rapper’s unreleased musical compositions and their subsequent commercialization on digital platforms.
Federal prosecutors have disclosed that over 25 musical tracks have been disseminated or streamed online without the authorization of either Eminem or his affiliated record label.
The musical content was secured on hard drives that were protected by passwords and stored within a safe located at Eminem’s recording facility in the state of Michigan.
Joseph Strange, a resident of Holly, Michigan, faces charges of copyright infringement as well as interstate trafficking of stolen property.
Strange, who was dismissed from his position at the studio of the 8 Mile artist in 2021, may confront a maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment if found guilty on both charges.
Employees at the studio alerted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in January, reporting that unreleased musical tracks were being streamed on various online platforms, including Reddit and YouTube.
An investigation revealed that files had been transferred from a secured hard drive to an external hard drive during October 2019 and January 2020, a period when Strange was employed at the studio.
A Canadian individual informed investigators that he had acquired 25 unreleased tracks from Strange for approximately $50,000 (£38,000) in Bitcoin.
Additionally, he was reportedly offered certain handwritten lyric sheets belonging to Eminem.
Strange’s attorney told The Associated Press that the charges were “untested allegations” and that “We will handle the matter in a courtroom.”
